Counterbalanced roller-bearing



UNITED. STATES, PATENT OFFICE.

, JOHN F. OCONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR- TO \VILLIAM H. MINER, 0F

' CHAZY, NEW YORK.

COUNTERBALANCED ROLLER-BEARING.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCorgnon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and be returned to central normalposition solely under the influence of gravity.

Another object of this invention is to provide an anti-friction bearing of the type above indicated and wherein are provided; Ineansfor positively maintaining a predetermined relation between the antifriction element and its retaining member in all positions of the anti-friction elementQ .Other objects ofthe invention are to provide an anti-frietion bearing of the type' above indicated so designed that the means for maintaining the relation between the anti-friction element and its retalnlng member also act as the means for returning the ant -friction element to its central normal position; to so design the parts that the anti'frict1on element-has a full length bearing to thereby eleminate bending moments;

and to render extremely sensitive the return of the anti-friction element to its central normal position under the influence of gravity after removal of the actuating pressure.

In the drawing forming a part of this specificatiomFigure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the ends of a car body bolster and a truck bolster showing my improvements in connection therewith 1n the form of an anti-friction side bearing. Fig. 2

is a top plan view of the anti-friction bear ingT-proper shown in Fig. 1, parts being broken away to better accommodate the view on the drawing. :rnd Fig. 3 1s a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

1 In said drawing, 10' denotes the underside Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 3, 1919.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

Serial No. 287,170, I V

of a car body bolster and 11 the upper side of an opposed truckbolster. I have shown my improved bearing as secured to the truck bolster, and, as shown, the bearing comprises, broadly, two elements, to-wit: a retaining member or base casting designated A and an anti-friction element designated B.

I The retaining casing or base casting A is of substantially hollow rectangular formation and has parallel spaced side walls 12'12, end walls 13l3 and lower corner lugs 14Ll4, perforated to accommodate rivets or other suitable securing means for attaching the member A to the bolster. On its interior, the member A is provided with atransversely extending shelf, indicated at 15, suitably supported by transverse y extending ribs 161G. To promote the life of the hearing, I preferably provide an insertible steel plate 17 mounted on top of the shelf or ledge 15. The plate 17 is insertedthrough suitable openings 18 and the side walls of the member A, and to retain the plate 1'7 in position, one end thereof may be bent down, as indicated at 19, to form a shoulder and a cotter pin 20 inserted through a suitable opening in the plate at the opposite end thereof on the outside of the adjacent side wall 12 of the member A. As clearly indicated in Fig. 1, the shelf 15 and plate 17 are disposed centrally lengthwise of the member A with a considerable clearance between each edge of the plate 17 and the inner face of the adjacent end wall 13. Furthermore, the combined shelf and plate 17 is so formed as to present the upper face or wear-bearing surface of the plate 1'? at a considerable elevation above the bottom proper of the memberA-the purpose of which will appear hereinafter. To facilitate the washing out of" dirt or other foreign matter which may accumulate within the member A, the end walls thereof may be cut away, as indicated at 2l21.

The anti-friction element B, as shown consists of a main cylindrical section, indicated at 22, and a pair of substantially diametrically disposed, longitudinally extending, preferably integral depending weighted wings 2323, As will be evident, the element B has an upper bearing surface 24 and a lower concentric bearing surface 2-5, both of equal radius, said surfaces 24: and 25 extending the full length of the antifriction element B" and arranged to have contact for the entire length of the element Bfroin one end tothe other end thereof with both the bearing surfaces of the plate 17 and the underface of the body bolster 10, so that the element B is relieved oil any bending moment and 1s sub ect only to compression strains.

The wings 23 are of similarformation and a description of one will suffice. Each wing 23 is of special formation and has an upper outer curved'surface 26 and inner curved surface 27, a narrow lower inner flat face 28 and a relatively wide lower outer,

fiat face 29. As will be evident from an inspection of Fig. 1, the wings 23 are so disposed with respect to the axis of the element B as to lower the center of weight of the combined roller section proper andthe wings and locate said center of weight in a vertical line passing through the center of the. roller section 22 and below the axisof the'latter when the element B is in its central normal position. Furthermore the wings'23 are extended downwardly so as to overlie the transverselyextending edges of. the plate 17.

In addition, the maximum distance transversely of the anti-friction element B from one outer curved surface 26 tothe other is made slightly less than the distance between the end walls 1313 of the base casting thus leaving a slight clearance, as lndicated at cc, on'each side of the element B. These clearances 0-0 may be made as small as desired but preferably will be approximately one-eighth of an inch ina side bearing having a permissible rolling movementfof two and one-quarter or two and one-half inches to either side of normal position. With this construction, it is evident that the possible off-setting bodily of the element B from vibration or jarring is positively limited to the amount of the. clearance 0, and, consequently, the anti-fric tion element B can never assume an acciden' tal position which will not permit it to there-- after give a substantially complete full movement when brought into play. This is of extreme-importance 1n anti-frlctlon side bearlngs and overcomes one of the defects of substantially all rocker bearings hereto- 3 fore employed where it has been possible for the rocker to be offset by vibration to such an extent that when the rocker is brought into operation the permissible rocking movement thereafter is much less than that actually required to effect the function of the bearing. r

-The curvatures of the surfaces 26 and 27 fof the wings 23 are made so that the outer surfaces 26 will just clear the inner faces of the end walls 13 when either wing 23 is depressed, and the surfaces 27 will at all times clear the transverse edges of the plate {17' during a similar movement. Thedotted linesin Fig. 1 indicate one'extreme'position bly coming into contact with the end wall 13' simultaneously with the contacting of the wing 23'with said end wall 13.

As indicated by the dotted line position of the anti-friction element B in Fig. 1, the narrow flat faces 28 of the wings are adapted to contact with the vertical faces 3030 of the transversely extending shelf 15, and

the flat faces 29. are adapted to simultaneously contact with the upper face of the truck bolster 11, both assisting in limiting the movement ofthe element B. i

7 From the "preceding 'dBSGIlPlJlOIl consid ered in connection with Fig. 1, it will be noted that the two sets of curved surfaces 26 and 27 of the-wings will always cooperate with either the endfwall 13 ofthe casting A'or the transversely extending shelf and bearing plate thereof to limit the bodily shifting of the element B. The surfaces26 perform this function until such time as either Wing 23 begins to move under the overhanging edge of the plate 17 when the same function is performed by the inner curved surfaces 27 As an illustration, assuming the anti-friction element B inthe extreme position'indicated' by dotted lines in Fig. 1, it iseviclent that theelement B cannot be jarred to the left, since it is already in contact with the lefthand end wall 13 of the casting A. Obviously, the element B cannot be shifted bodily to the right unlessit rolls, because of the factthat the lefthand wing 23 is in engagement with the shelf 15. In any intermediate position betweenthe dotted line positionand the full line position shownin Fig. 1, the wing 23 will be partly under the overhanging edge of the plate 17, and, consequently, the element B cannot be shifted laterally bodily to the right, and, obviously, the element B cannot be shifted bodily to the'left, because of the proximity of the curved surface 26 and end wall.

By forming the combined counter weights and centering wings 23 in the manner disclosed, I am enabled to provide an unusually heavy counter balance, since the wings 23 may be made of comparatively thick metal, and, furthermore, extend the full length of the element B. This renders the return of the element B to center normal position under the influence of gravity extremely sensitive and without the aid of a spring or other external means, such as have heretofore-been common in anti-friction bearings, and which have proven a continual source of trouble. Furthermore, the element B is of suchformation that it can be readily manufactured as. a casting when the wings are formed integrally with the remainder of the anti-friction element. In the event the wings are made separately from the cylindrical section proper and thereafter the parts rigidly united, the'roller' section proper may well be made of high carbon rolled steel and the wings as ordinary castings. The bearing gives a true cylindrical roller action havng all the advantages of the ordinary cylindrical roller bearing, and combines therewith, ina high degree, the gravity selfecentering features of a rocker bearing and eliminates the disadvantages usually accompanying both of said types of bearings as heretofore employed in the art.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out the invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In an anti-friction bearing, the combination with a member having a bearing surface, of an anti-friction element adapted for a true rolling movement on said surface to either side of central normal position, and duplicate sets of cotiperating means on said member and element, on diametrically opposed sides of the latter, to positivelymaintain a predetermined relation between said member and element in all positions of the latter, the portion of said means on said element being rigidly united therewith.

2. In an anti-friction bearing, the combination with a memebr having a bearing sur-- face, of an anti-friction element adapted for a true rolling movement on said surface to either side of central normal position, and

duplicate sets of cooperating means on said member and element, on dlametrically op-' posed side of the latter, to positively maintain a predetermined relation between said member and element in all positions of the latter. the portion of said means on said ele ment being rigid therewith and normally depending below the rolling axis of said element and thereby adapted to act as a counter balance to return said element to central normal position after each actuation thereof upon removal of the actuating pressure.

3. In an anti-friction bearing, the combination with a retaining member and a bearing surface, of an anti-friction element having a true free rolling movement on said bearing surface to either side of centralnormal position, said element having contact fer its full length between its ends with said bearing surface, and cooperating means on id element and membe limiting to a predetermined minimum the possible bodily olfs tting of said element in a direction transsely of its axis to either side of normal central position. said means being dupli cated on diametrically opposed sides of said element.

In an anti-friction bearing, the com bination with a retaining member and a bearing surface, of an anti-friction element having a true free rolling movement on said bearing surface to either side of central normal position. said element having contact for its full length between its ends with said bearing surface, and cooperating means on said element and member limiting to a predetermined. minimum the possible bodily offsetting of said element in a direction transversely of its axis to either side of normal central position, said means being duplicated on each side of said'element and rigid with respect thereto, said means on the element, in conjunction with the latter, providing a center of weight below the rolling axis of the element, which center of weight is elevated when said element is rolled to either side of normal position and the same thereby adapted, under the influence of gravity, to return to central normal position after each actuation upon removal of the actuating pressure.

In an antifriction bearing of the character described, the combination with a hollow retaining member and a bearing surface centrally disposed with respect thereto, of an anti-friction element having upper and lower concentric surfaces of equal radii, the lower surface of the element bearing upon the first-named surface, said element having dir-iinetrically disposed depending wings, each wing being curved, on its inner and outer face, the curved faces of the wings cooperating with adjacent portions of the retaining member to positively maintain a predetermined relation between the anti-friction element and said member in all positions of said element.

6. In a side bearing, the combination with a hollow retaining member having end walls and a transversely extending, centrally-disposed, elevated bearing surface, of an antifriction element within said member, said element having a true roller section adapted to bear, throughout its entire length, on said bearing surface, said element having also counter weight sections on each side thereof, said counter-weight sections also normally straddling said elevated bearing surface.

7. As an article of manufacture, an antifriction element for bearings, said element comprising a central cylindrical section'and integrally and longitudinally and down- S.v In a side bearing for railway cars, the

combination Witha hollow substantially rectangular base castingfhaving side and end Walls and an elevated centrally disposed bearing surface, of an anti-friction element mounted Within said casting said element having a cylindrical section adapted to roll on said bearing surface, said element having also oppositely arranged depending I Wings integral with said cylindricalsection, said wings being-curved on their inner and outer facesand cooperating respectively With the elevated portion ofthe base casting andthe end Walls thereof to positively maintain a 'predetermined relation" between the base day of March,c, 1919.

, 1 JOHN mebNNOR. 

